Thursday, April 11, 2013

Cubs president Theo Epstein is expected to address the media sometime this afternoon about the situation Wednesday night involving Cubs prospect Jorge Soler at Class A Daytona. We’ll pick things up here from our blog of this morning and add some reaction, which we’ll flesh out more in depth for the paper tomorrow and online later today. The Cubs and Giants are working out on the outfield grass as a cold rain continues to fall at Wrigley Field before the scheduled 1:20 p.m. game.

...Soler, a member of the Cubs’ 40-man roster and owner of a nine-year, $30 million contract, charged across the field last night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark wielding a bat. Daytona manager Dave Keller was quoted by the Daytona Beach News Journal as saying the incident was “kind of like a nightmare.”

The paper reported “Soler was caught by teammates near the Threshers’ dugout, and he never swung the bat. But the heralded prospect was ejected following the incident, and Keller said he did not know if there would be further punishment from the Cubs or the Florida State League.”

The incident apparently was touched off by a confrontation between Soler and Clearwater’s Carlos Alonso at second base after the final play of the seventh inning. From the News Journal: “Soler slid into the base on the play, and he and Alonso exchanged words. Teammates from each side came out to separate the two, and the groups headed back to their dugouts. But Soler came sprinting back out of the Cubs’ dugout — bat in hand — toward the Threshers dugout.”

“I think that he was frustrated by some things and there was some emotional things he was fighting with,” Keller told the paper. “Why he did that, I don’t know. I think he was frustrated by what happened. When he slid into second base, (Alonso) ended up laying on top of him. He was laying on him so (Soler) pushed with his arm to get him off him, and I think the second baseman interpreted that the wrong way like he wanted to fight or something.”

Keller said the two sides exchanged words and that Soler was upset about some of the things said to him.

“There were two separate incidents, and there was really no fight,” Keller told the paper. “But because nobody was around him when he was running across the field with a bat … that makes things a little bit crazy.”

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...Soler, a member of the Cubs’ 40-man roster and owner of a nine-year, $30 million contract, charged across the field last night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark wielding a bat. Daytona manager Dave Keller was quoted by the Daytona Beach News Journal as saying the incident was “kind of like a nightmare.”

Did Soler really think Jay-Z was hanging out in the other team's dugout?

Holy ####. Molina was apparently arrested last year for (allegedly) molesting a nine-year-old girl, and had prior charges filed against him for domestic battery. Link. I feel a whole lot less sorry for him now.

The last news report I can find said that he was given a trial date of last October, so I don't know how it turned out.

Holy ####. Molina was apparently arrested last year for (allegedly) molesting a nine-year-old girl, and had prior charges filed against him for domestic battery. Link. I feel a whole lot less sorry for him now.

Christensen's beaning probably caused him to become a pedophile you see.

“But because nobody was around him when he was running across the field with a bat … that makes things a little bit crazy.”

This is just sensational. I'm trying to picture the scene. Did someone stop Soler or did he just stop himself? If someone stopped him, how stupid was that to step in front of a pissed off guy with a baseball bat? This just sounds wonderful.

Christensen's beaning probably caused him to become a pedophile you see.

I recall there was a story posted here last summer on this guy. I seem to remember it stopped a bit short of the lawyering you did (tongue in cheek I know) but basically made it out that Molina's life had gone to #### after the beaning.

re: #15 - he caught my dad in '73. as a kid this blew my mind. i pictured him behind the plate in his florescent macho man outfit, and a catcher's mask adorned with brightly colored tassels. "ooooh yeah...gimme the cheese"

Holy ####. Molina was apparently arrested last year for (allegedly) molesting a nine-year-old girl, and had prior charges filed against him for domestic battery. Link. I feel a whole lot less sorry for him now.

What were the predictions for the Cubs' win total this year? I'm beginning to think losing 100 games was being too optimistic.

Bright spots so far:
Wellington Castillo-.381/.409/.619 I'm loving that he's finally gotten a chance to play everyday and even more in love with the fact that when given the chance he actually started out good. Can't believe how competent the Cubs have been at producing or getting good major league catchers over the last decade or so.

Nate Schierholtz-.304/.385/.565 Through the first week we've got Sammy Sosa back in right field. Has a grand total of 2 PA against lefties so far.

For one thing, he seems to always be around the plate - and I hate relievers who walk people... that said -- my concern would be that I'm not sure his stuff is nasty enough (nor his command spot perfect enough) to always be so consistently in the strike zone. I suppose - check back with me in June... If the league figures out that it's best to take your hacks again Fujikawa, he's going to need to adjust.